A week of Thanksgiving...

Gabe and I were able to make it to Utah for a quick trip the weekend before Thanksgiving. It turned out to be just perfect timing. Roman played in the state championship football game and Wes and Ash and the kids drove up for the same weekend to hang out with the Spencer crew. It was three full days of jammed packed fun. We started the weekend at Rice-Eccles stadium to see the Bingham Miners defeat Freamont for the State Championship.

Roman and the Miners doing the haka before the game. Getting the crowd all pumped up.

My brother-in-law Roman is such a stud. For sure one of my most favorite people! It was so fun to watch him out there!

Way to go Miners!

Celebrating after the game.

With the rock star of the night.

Matt also coaches for Bingham. It was so fun to see him out there!

It was so awesome to see Wes and Ash and the kids. I am pretty darn sure I have got the cutest niece and nephew on the planet.

Little Colty rockin' out to Weston's Ipod. I love this kid to pieces. What a little stud.

This picture... awesome. Look at Colty waving to dad.

We got to see the first snowfall of the season... and possibly the last for us. I loved the snow flakes. It finally felt like Christmas.

What I am most thankful for this season:

An amazing family who I love and look up to. For the most amazing parents who love us and support us in everything we do. For two awesome sisters, a brother and for Hailey bug and Colty. And for a place that I grew up in, learned most life lessons in and a place that always feels like coming home.

I am grateful for amazing in-laws who support us and are constantly telling us how much they love us. For three awesome brothers who accepted me as their sister...

And for this guy, my world.

We had a wonderful time in Utah. It was so short and went by way too quickly. But we loved it and can't wait to go back. We love our families!

On the drive back to Arizona we drove through the cutest little towns. I made Gabe stop at this restaurant so we could eat. I wanted to see if she was really in the kitchen making pies! Pretty sure she wasn't. But good sandwiches anyway.

The restaurant was only a few miles from my most favorite place in the world. It made my heart hurt a little. I miss the Powell trips so so much.

I wanted to get out of the car and take a quick dip in the lake. But this is the closest I got to it. A picture over the dam. I'll be back soon.

We got back Monday night and spent Thanksgiving in sunny Arizona with friends.

We woke up Thanksgiving morning and hiked Thunderbird Mountain. It was beautiful.

After a filling turkey dinner with friends, a knife throwing contest, bow and arrow shooting and white elephant gift giving, we made it home early for a little Black Friday Christmas tree shopping. We spent the weekend relaxing, watching movies, hanging out by the fire in the back yard...

And watching the Utes beat BYU with five seconds left. I know, I know... his knee was down. But that kick was sure blocked! Love the Holy war and the fact that anything can happen in that game. Proud to be a UTE!!!

Christmas season is upon us. The tree is up, the lights are hung and excited to see what the New Year brings.

Merry Christmas from our Utah Fam!

Gabe's parents come to visit!

With my cute mother-in-law Janice

In the life of two Arizonians...

I'm back.

In case ya'll were wondering if we survived our first summer on the surface of the sun, I mean Arizona... We did. And we lived to blog about it!

Life has been awesome.

We've had some fun.

Gabe is playing intermural softball. I play a valuable role in softball. Hold the water, cheer on the team and chat with gals. Both teams are doing awesome. Here Gabe's up to bat and my cute friend Megan's husband is on 3d base. You'd think we planned that... for picture purposes.

Meg and I have had a couple days where we have the same days off. What a better way to enjoy time off work than in the beautiful AZ sunshine. We're training for the marathon together so after our long run, we relax in the sun.

We finally made it to a football game! One of my cute Young women is in the band at her highschool. She played at half time on the field and asked Gabe and I to come. Of course it didn't take one second to convince Gabe to go to a highschool football game.

There she is, with the drum!

It makes me happy to be under the friday night lights, sitting next to my all star.

I was also able to make a trip to Mesa to go to the temple with my Young Women. What a blessing to live close to such a beautiful temple.

A couple weeks ago Gabe volunteered us to volunteer at a walk for Diabetes.

This little dude was my favorite, passing out water to all the walkers.

Even the Ghost busters came. It was pretty sweet.

AND...

Fall finally made it Arizona. And by fall, I don't mean beautiful red and yellow leaves and the air turning crisp...

I mean rain and hail (the size of Golf balls) FALLING from the sky. I 'm not kidding. I've never seen anything like it. If you look closely you can see our street turning into a river. Don't worry the Corolla was a champ. It only had a few dents in the roof from the hail. I wasn't too upset about it. (ok, I wasn't upset at all, it gives the hoopdy rolla some character!)

The rain gave Meg and I a good opportunity to craft. Something I am so not good at. My cute friend Erica would be so proud of me. She's so good at this stuff.... But not me. It actually turned ok though. I found this cute wreath idea in Women's day Magazine. I would link you to it so you could make it yourself, but I'm not that crafty.

You could google it.

So long sweet Arizona summer. Can't wait for an Arizona winter!!!!!

Just wishing we had a little "real fall" here. Can't explain how much I miss the leaves!

Missing the lights...

Gabe and Abby's favorite past time: Football

Gabe and I love football. Especially Utah Football.

I can't tell you how much I am missing Utah football this year. The lights, the red uniforms, the smell of hot dogs and nachos in the stadium, the Utah fight song you hear as you get closer to the tail gate party, bundling up for a cold october night in the red seats, the excitement in in the stands as our team runs into the end zone... I am missing me some Utah football for sure.

We are yet to see the Utes play this year. (My bottom lip is turning under and quivering...) I blame lack of The Mountain channel not televised on regular Arizona T.V... Really, What's up with that? And blessed monday morning med school tests. Bless Gabe's heart. I know he wishes he was at a football game instead of glued to his office chair with his nose in a book.

Our hearts are with the Utes though. We still bleed red through and through. I wear red to work under my scrubs on game day and talk some good smack to the BYU loving doctors I work with. ( I can't wait 'till I go back to work tomorrow. I love that the U won and the Y took a good loss. Makes my heart smile :) )

My goal is to get to a sports bar one of these Saturdays to try and see some Utah football.

Until then...

"We'll fight for dear ol' crimson for a

UTAH MAN AM I...

GO UTES!"

Some other football we're missing...

And by missing I mean Gabe get's a far away look in his eyes and a sad puppy dog look on Friday nights missing...

Is this dude. Roman is playing football at Bingham his Senior year. Talk about an awesome team. They are number one in Utah, and well deserved. This team is amazing and Roman is a rock star. I wish so bad we could be there to see him every Friday night. We're for sure thinking about him though and hoping we can make it for at least one.

You're awesome Roman!

GO MINERS!

And finally, some football close to home. I've never lived anywhere with a NFL team. I came to Arizona already saying I was for sure a cardinals fan. They already had some awesome things going for them. First off, they wear red. Done... I'm a fan. Secondly, they had Matt Leinart. When I was a freshman in college and Mr. Leinart was playing at USC, I thought he was absolutely dreamy. Major heisman crush on the guy. So it was perfect that he was starting quarterback for the team I was becoming a fan of. Well, I'll tell you what. He is not that dreamy or good looking when he's being sacked or throwing interceptions. Pretty sure I agree with booting him off the team.

Going to be honest. I'm not for sure sold on the Cardinals. Especially since second string quarterback Max Hall thinks I'm classless.

I'll give it some good effort though...

Go Cardinals. Happy to share the great state of Arizona with you.

Happy Football season ya'll!

Welcome, Welcome!

Last weekend we had our first visitors! It was so fun! My parents drove down to see us in Arizona and spent the weekend with us! I cannot thank them enough. For a year and a half, about half of our wedding presents have been in storage. They loaded up Grandpa's Tahoe and drove all the way down. I loved unwrapping all my bowls, platters and dishes. It was so so fun! Then we spent all day Saturday looking for fabric so my mom could sew all my curtains. She is amazing. Thank you so so much mom!!!!! (I need to post some pics of our house!!!! Especially now that I have the cutest curtains!)

They stayed at their friend's beautiful vacation home in Scottsdale. We had a lot of fun hanging out by the pool, relaxing in the sun.

We shopped, ate yummy food, swam, relaxed, ate yogurt and sewed, sewed, sewed. It was so fun to have them down and show them around Phoenix. The weekend went WAY too fast.

Can't wait to have you down again!

Love you!